King Lear Essay; Loyalty Over Power

Loyalty Over Power

Throughout William Shakespeare’s work one common theme is "loyalty" which calls upon the audience's attention, due to its misinterpretation throughout most characters in King Lear.  Loyalty is very hard to find among people, it is something that is demonstrated not just throughout words but throughout actions as well.  Loyalty is seen throughout the characters of Cordelia, Kent, and the Fool.  They have truly shown and demonstrated loyalty to King Lear in both his good and bad conditions. King Lear misreads most of the loyal people’s actions, for dishonor and disrespect; when truthfully those same people are those who help him and are loyal to him.  King Lear in the end of the play realizes who had been loyal to him all along; too bad it took a bad situation to make him see people's true intentions. 

One character who had remained loyal to King Lear is Kent, Lear's servant, he remained by King Lear's side even though Kent was banished from the land forever, and was to be killed if found in the land after a week.   Kent has never been afraid to speak his mind if King Lear is wrong, and for that same reason is why King Lear banished Kent, thinking that he had dishonored and betrayed him. In fact, Kent would rather speak the truth to King Lear about his actions, rather than lying to him and letting him make a mistake "Royal Lear, whom I have ever honored as my king, loved as my father, as my master followed, as my great patron thought in my prayers../ Let it fall rather, though the fork invade the region of my heart. Be Kent unmannerly when Lear is mad....Think'st thou that duty shall have dread to speak when power to flattery bows? To plainness honor's bound when majesty falls to folly. Reserve thy state..." (1.1. 139/ 144).  Kent's exile gave him even more reason to betray King Lear, however he did not, he disguised himself remained loyal and followed King Lear throughout the entire play "If but as well I other accents borrow, that can my speech diffuse, my good intent may carry through itself to that full issue for which I razed my likeness.  Now, banished Kent, if thou canst serve where thou dost stand condemned, so may it come thy master, whom though lovest, shall find thee full of labors" (1.4.1-7).  Kent didn't have an obligation to help King Lear, but his love and loyalty towards his King is too strong to lead him towards betraying his King.  When King Lear is homeless, Kent helps him find a temporary shelter "...Gracious my lord, hard by here is a hovel.  Some Friendship will it lend you 'gainst the tempest. Repose you there..." (3.2.59-61).  Kent not only remains loyal to King Lear, but he also remains loyal to Cordelia, by informing her about her father's condition and by leading her to Lear's location. 

Loyalty is also demonstrated through the character of the Fool, who is also full of wisdom, and is not afraid to tell things how they are and how he sees it.  The Fool is another character who does not care about the consequences of his words nor actions; he simply speaks his mind and stays by King Lear’s side through his bad experience.  The Fool’s purpose is to lighten up the mood, but in reality, through his bluntness he opens King Lear’s eyes about the wrongs he had done by giving up his kingdom and power “…Nay, an thou canst not smile as the wind sits, thou’lt catch cold shortly. There, take my coxcomb. Why, this fellow has banished two on’s daughters, and did the third a blessing against his will. If thou follow him, thou must needs wear my coxcomb” (1.4.87-92).  Since King Lear did not want to listen to everyone else’s warnings the good way, the Fool harshly tells him his mistakes in order to make Lear see and hear his actions.  “Fools had ne’er less wit in a year, for wise men are grown foppish. They know not how their wits to wear, their manners are so apish” (1.4. 149-152).    Later on, the Fool decides that he is better off being with King Lear, and accompanies him through his miserable journey to help guide him.  The Fool shows his loyalty and appreciation through his bluntness, but he speaks and acts with good and true intentions towards King Lear.  He is fully loyal to King Lear, even though his economic status is not as high as the royalty, the Fool is so full of both wisdom and knowledge, and eventually his loyalty to the King leads him to his own death.  Having power means nothing compared to loyalty and King Lear in the end realizes that.  The Fool’s character is an example of that, because he is not royalty, nor does he have any money, but his loyalty towards King Lear is highly more appreciated than those who have power with no good intentions.

In King Lear, King Lear believes that his two daughters Goneril and Regan are his only loyal children since their spoken speeches said so, as for his third and youngest daughter, Cordelia is disowned because of her lack of speech."...by all the operation of the orbs from whom we do exist and cease to be here I disclaim all your paternal care, propinquity, and property of blood, and as a stranger to my heart and me hold thee from this forever" (1.1.111-116).  Although Cordelia is disowned as Lear's daughter, she has all the reason to hate Lear, but does not; instead she chooses to demonstrate her love and loyalty towards her father throughout her actions. As Lear's daughter, Cordelia is a great example of how loyalty is portrayed in the play; having all the reasons to ignore and hate her father, she chooses to pick him up from his tragic misery and insanity and says: "O you kind gods, cure this great breach in his abused nature, th' untuned and jarring senses, O, wind up, of this child-changed father!" (4.7.12-15). Without taking advantage of Lear's condition, she tries to restore his sanity and clarifies to Lear “no cause, no cause" ( 4.7.74).  Cordelia demonstrates her loyalty by actions and words, by saying that she does not hate him nor does she have a cause to.  Instead she chooses to help, clothe, and shelter her father rather than banishing him like her two sisters did.  Cordelia is one of the people who care for King Lear after giving up all his power, his land, and his home.  That is the true meaning of loyalty, to provide help to another in their time of need, and standing by them forgiving, and forgetting the past. Cordelia’s actions speak for her; she does not hold any grudges against her father and still honors Lear as her father, and as royalty.  Loyalty does not have a price, or economic status, nor can it be replaced with power. 

In the end, "loyalty" is a common theme of King Lear, Shakespeare throughout the play shows that loyalty does not just mean saying kind words, but by also demonstrating it.  Shakespeare also emphasizes that those who King Lear thought less of, were those who were truly loyal to him until the end.  Throughout many characters, Shakespeare shows that through the thick and thin situations, those who King Lear had banished were the ones who stuck by his side until the end.  No matter if King Lear had power or not, that did not change the loyal people around him, in fact those people helped him in Lear's time of need. Loyalty is very rare in some people, which is why it has no price, and why it is greater than any kind of power.